According to the report, sport has now become an important industry at the national level. In particular, data, network and artificial intelligence (AI), which are the core elements of digital technology, are applied, and various changes are taking place in the sports industry, such as ▲ selection and tactics players ▲ the training method and the development of equipment. ▲ relay distribution ▲ judgment and reading ▲ implementation of a marketing strategy.
Big data and artificial intelligence technologies are used in various ways in most sports games. As a representative example, through training using big data, Korea won second place in the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and archery players won several medals. gold at the 32nd Tokyo Olympics.
The Korean archery team used an “electronic target” and an “automatic score recorder”, in which four laser sensors measure the position, score and direction of the arrow. Using this digital technology, players were able to organically change their tactics, such as improving habits, adjusting shooting order and time interval, based on data analyzing the shot archery (archery posture) and hit scenes.
The Electronic Performance & Tracking System (EPTS) used in Europe’s five major professional football leagues, including the British Premier League, is also attracting attention. The EPTS is a vest equipped with a computing device that collects GPS-based data and collects big data with a built-in accelerometer and heart rate sensor to measure rotational movement. Thanks to this, more than 400 vital signs data, such as the player’s movement distance, maximum speed, activity level and heart rate, as well as player performance data and even trivial habits can be checked in real time.
Currently, more than 98% of European football players are equipped with EPTS in training and practice. The Korean national team has introduced the EPTS since the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and the domestic professional football K-League has also allowed EPTS equipment to be worn since 2018.
Along with this, the presence of artificial intelligence which increases the use of big data is also growing. In fact, more than 12 cameras have been installed on the roof of the Qatar 2022 World Cup stadium to classify and recognize each player’s movement into 29 data points, and collect players’ body movements at a frequency of 50. times per second. In addition, an inertial measurement sensor has been installed inside the official World Cup ball, “AI Rihla”, to identify movement information around 500 times per second and transmit it to the VAR room. As a result, the “semi-automatic offside reading technology” has been completed, which judges and informs the referees of the offside stage in real time.
With the application of digital technology, sports broadcasting offers a new experience for sports fans by combining virtual and augmented reality technologies to “show a simple situation”. In the National Football League (NFL) broadcast, an AI that has learned 35,000 passing game data predicts the success rate of players in one second. As a result, the incidence of miscarriages, which angered fans, decreased significantly, and sports fans could immerse themselves more in the game and have more fun.
A three-dimensional relay is also possible. As a representative example, the Spanish professional football league La Liga introduced Intel’s “True View” technology and installed 38 4K cameras in the stadium to generate 30-second 3D videos in real time. Along with this, the Sky Sports channel offers sports fans a sense of liveliness comparable to watching the event via the British Premier League VR broadcast.
Meanwhile, with the development of digital technology, clubs and professional sports teams are expected to further refine their marketing strategies by immediately analyzing large amounts of data. Real Madrid, a La Liga club, has recorded an increase in sales of more than 30% every year by analyzing various fan activities through fan platforms and mobile applications and by carrying out marketing.
According to the report, the convergence of sports and digital technology will radically change the industry, further enhancing the noble value of sports and the basic development and expansion of the sports industry. In addition, the creation of synergies between digital and sport will be further accelerated. Deloitte forecasts the sports ICT market to maintain a high annual growth rate of 17.9% from 2021 to 2026, reaching $40.2 billion.
Regarding the era of sports ICT applied to digital technology, Deloitte said that first of all, digital transformation should not be understood as simply increasing sales through ICT technology. In other words, a true digital transformation of sport requires the establishment of a platform that manages the life cycle of players, such as the discovery of players for each event, training and performance improvement, and the marketing based on player data. Customer-centric value discovery and the development of business models, not process-centric, are at the heart of the digital transformation of sport.
In addition, various opportunities must be created in entirely new places beyond the existing field of sports activity. It is necessary to create added value by developing new AI algorithms or developing new content and channels in collaboration with media platform companies, far from selling goods online by a small number of famous players.
The company said it also needed to redefine its business and its customers. With digital technology, you need to expand your customer base, not just sports fans. In addition to providing new value to customers, digital technology provides infinite value by providing lifelong influence. Through this, it is necessary to broaden the range of customers by redefining sports to other industries such as data and algorithms, digital content, device manufacturing and healthcare. Along with that, you need to have flexibility. In the field where many variables are involved in real time, it is necessary to change the mindset of leaders by preemptively establishing a digital infrastructure rather than a process-oriented mindset such as roles and responsibilities.
Finally, it is an immediate movement. The development of new digital products and services and business process methods must be managed on IT systems and platforms. Based on the infrastructure thus created, a new revenue model must be quickly created.
Kim Jeong-yeol, Director of Sports CoE (Center of Excellence) of Deloitte Korea Group, said: “The application of digital technology will not lose the original spirit of sports, but the fact that the sports paradigm has started to change with the introduction of technology is an irresistible phenomenon. “Based on a clear understanding of sports, we must make efforts to further develop the important value of sports that can never be damaged.”
editor@itworld.co.kr
